Scott Pianowski

The perfect sandwich, the perfect cocktail, the perfect design of a fantasy league, there are no obvious answers. These sorts of things are constantly debated and argued, with a consensus unlikely to be reached. One person’s mistake is another person’s perfect mix. (You really like mayo? Get the hell out of my kitchen.)

On my fantasy clipboard, there’s certainly room for both of the major formats – but I decisively prefer the auction game when push comes to shove. That doesn’t mean you have to agree with me, of course. Some of my oldest friends don’t agree with me.

To start off today’s debate, I’ve collected some reasons why you might prefer a Fantasy Draft or a Fantasy Auction. Sure, the auction section is longer. I can’t help what I love, what I prefer. I want you to love auctions, too. I want you to carry a gavel everywhere you go.

Six free-agent pickup recommendations, that’s how we roll. We’ll try to offer something for every budget.

Andrew Hammond, G, Senators (28 percent): Sometimes you have to take a story and run with it, even when there’s no pedigree in place. That’s the case with Hammond, a 27-year-old non-prospect who’s been lights-out since getting his chance in the Ottawa cage (five straight wins, two shutouts, 1.31 goals-against, .957 save percentage). Maybe beating the Sharks in San Jose is no great feat these days – those guys can’t seem to play a solid game in front of their home folk – but bagels at Los Angeles and Anaheim need no qualifier, even if it never rains goals in Southern California.

Just get to the playoffs, then hope to catch lightning in a bottle once you’re there. That’s the wishing credo of your typical Wild Card team these days, and sometimes it turns into a shocking underdog story.

The 2014 Royals fit Cinderella’s slipper. With an ordinary plus-27 run differential, it’s amazing they qualified for the playoffs at all. They scraped together 89 wins (five more than the pythagorean formula suggested), then got hot in the AL playoffs. Thanks for coming east, Oakland. Have fun with your theme park, Anaheim. No need to be crabby, Baltimore.

The Royals eventually fell to the Giants in the World Series, but it took seven games to dispatch them. After 28 years of non-playoff baseball in the heartland, Kansas City's fanbase finally had an October story to rally around.

Q: Is Greg Holland worth his 67 ADP as a closer? What about saves on a budget and all that stuff?

Six free-agent pickup recommendations, that’s how we roll. We’ll try to offer something for every budget.

Scott Darling, G, Blackhawks (9 percent): He’s been terrific at both levels this year, starring in the AHL (.927/.202) and coming through in seven spot-starts with Chicago (five wins, 1.97/.937). With Corey Crawford in a funk, the Blackhawks are giving Darling the Tuesday tap on the pads against Florida. Like most coaches, Joel Quenneville isn’t afraid to ride a hot hand in goal – perhaps Darling can get something rolling here. If he can just make the basic stops, Chicago's deep blue line should take care of the rest.

Brendan Gallagher, RW, Canadiens (31 percent): Fantasy owners are hip to what Tomas Plekanec is doing this season, but don’t forget his speedy right wing. Gallagher isn’t giving us as many PIMs this year, but we’ll take the trade off – all of his scoring columns are on the escalator, including shots on goal, and he’s also seeing more ice time.

Although the Giants are coming off their third World Championship in five seasons, a glorious run by anyone's standards, last year's triumph wasn't like the first two. After a pair of front-door titles, the 2014 champagne run was a back-door job all the way.

San Francisco barely made the playoffs last year, ducking into the tournament as a wild-card entry with an ordinary 88 wins. The Giants finished 12th in scoring, 10th in ERA, eighth in differential. There was nothing particularly scary about these guys into October..

Don’t look for Anders Lee in this space, we gave him to you last week. Onward and upward, here are six widely-available pickups to consider for your fake hockey squad.

Kevin Klein, D, Rangers (13 percent): He’s the No. 44 defenseman in the Yahoo game, a testament to a useful but fluky season. Klein’s somehow posted a 9-16-25 line despite little power-play time – he’s yet to register a man-advantage point in 2014-15. The nine goals are a mirage, coming off a modest 64 shots (his career shooting percentage is a mediocre five percent). And this isn’t some young up-and-coming talent; Klein’s in his age-30 campaign, and posted just nine points in the 77 games immediately prior to this year. All those caveats established, he’s getting regular ice with a decent team, so we can trust the hits, blocks and even the plus-minus (plus-22). In most pools, there’s a case for picking up The Big Chill.

Normally you walk into Petco Park and start thinking about a fish taco or a specialty beer.

This year, buy a scorecard first.

It’s been a while since the Padres were especially relevant. They haven’t had a winning record since 2010 and they haven’t seen the playoffs since 2006. Their last October series win dates back to 1998, when they hoisted the National League pennant before the Yankees swept them.

So no one can fault new general manager A.J. Preller for shuffling like a madman during his first Padres offseason. The Friars made three blockbuster trades (check out that snappy outfield, Upton-Myers-Kemp), then chased it with a late signing on a major free-agent pitcher, James Shields. It’s a new team, and it’s a fun team. And for the first time in a while, it's actually a buzzy, name-brand team.

With that in mind, we open this Padres PQ at a logical place – the pitcher’s mound.

Get out your shopping lists and let's hit the waiver wire for some free stuff. As always, we'll focus on players owned below the 50-percent Yahoo Fantasy Hockey threshold, and we'll try to include players at a variety of ownership levels. Something for everybody.

Tomas Hertl, LW, Sharks (37 percent owned): The struggling sophomore was given a couple of AHL games during the All-Star break, and maybe that triggered a rebound in confidence. Hertl registered two assists in his Worcester action, and is on a 2-3-5 run in six San Jose games since. Hertl was the club's best forward in Saturday's loss to Carolina, burying two chances from the crease and adding an assist in the final minute, when San Jose was in desperation mode (merely being selected at that time is a vote of confidence). Hertl remains stuck on a third line for now, though he's seeing secondary power-play time – and the up-and-down Sharks could easily promote him if the stick stays hot. I'm expecting a strong push in the final third of the year.

Although it’s been 31 years since Detroit’s last World Series title, the Woodward faithful hasn’t had much to complain about in recent years. The Tigers are taking aim at their fifth consecutive AL Central title. The glorious run has been fueled by a mix of potent offense (no one has scored more runs since the beginning of 2013) and reliable pitching (Top 10 team ERAs for three straight campaigns). Detroit generally assembles a strong lineup and a formidable starting staff and dares teams to match it over the six-month marathon. Most opponents fall short.

To be fair, there are subtle areas where the Tigers routinely struggle. They’ve been one of the worst defensive teams in the majors for several years now, and the bullpen hasn’t been good for a while. Detroit fans become anxious whenever the opponent puts the bat on the ball, and there’s a collective Eight Mile shriek whenever the bullpen door opens.

In most seasons, Fenway Park is a safe place to chase offensive production. The park is tiny and a bonanza for scoring, and the Red Sox usually have a stable of capable hitters.

Alas, 2014 wasn't like most years for the Olde Towne Team. A collection of slumps, injuries and mediocre players combined to torpedo the Boston offense, and with that, any hope of a championship repeat died quickly. The Red Sox finished 18th in the majors in scoring last year, a notable drop from their normal perch. Boston posted a Top 4 scoring offense in six of the prior seven seasons. (And to be fair, it hasn't been all Fenway Park; only the Yankees scored more runs on the road from 2007-2013.)

Let's load up some Ps and Qs and see where we get.

Q: Does a change of location help Ramirez and Sandoval?

I can't see how it won't. Obviously American League life has advantages for most hitters (the DH, more cycling through the order), and the ballpark change in particular is a daisy for both players.